Film
R.I.P. Craig “muMs” Grant, Oz Actor and Poet Dead at 52
Craig Grant, the actor and poet best known for his work on the HBO drama Oz and who went by “muMs da Schemer” in slam-poetry competitions, has died at 52. He passed away on Wednesday, according to his representative Pam Ellis-Evenas. A cause of death has not yet been determined. Born and raised in New York City in 1968, Grant fell in love with poetry in his youth and was a well-known poet in the local scene by the time he left Mount St. Michael Academy High School. As part of the acclaimed Nuyorican Poetry Slam team, he was featured in the 1998 documentary SlamNation and on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam series, both of which propelled Grant’s career and positioned him as an inspiration to aspiring poets. Grant’s breakout moment in Hollywood came courtesy of his featured role as Poet, a heroin addic...
R.I.P. Houston Tumlin, Talladega Nights Actor Dead at 28
Former child actor Houston Tumlin, who famously played Will Ferrell’s son Walker in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, has died at 28 years old. According to TMZ, Tumlin took his own life in his Alabama home on Tuesday afternoon by shooting himself in the head. As of now, investigators haven’t found a note, but his girlfriend was reportedly present in the house at the time of his death. His role as Walker Bobby, the potty-mouthed son of Will Ferrell’s Ricky Bobby character, was Tumlin’s only acting credit. He starred alongside Grayson Russell in the 2006 comedy, who played Ricky’s other son Texas Ranger. Although the cast included A-listers like Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Sacha Baron Cohen, Tumlin starred in many of the flick’s most memorable scenes, including the not...
Tokyo Ghost Comic Book to Get Movie Adaptation from Cary Fukunaga
Tokyo Ghost, the futuristic sci-fi comic book series released in 2015 by Image Comics, is being adapted into a feature film. No Time to Die director Cary Fukunaga is onboard to helm the movie and the series’ author, Rick Remender, will pen the script. Set in 2089 when humanity is addicted to technology, Tokyo Ghost follows the story of Debbie Decay and Led Dent, two peacekeepers in the Isles of Los Angeles, who are assigned a job that will take them to the last tech-free country on the planet: the garden nation of Tokyo. Remender has previously summarized the comic book series as being a “a big, visual, exciting story that at the heart of it is hiding the fact that it’s really a love story.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cyberpunk series adaptation will be produced by Fukunaga, ...
Ron Livingston Replacing Billy Crudup as The Flash’s Dad
Barry’s got a brand new dad. With Billy Crudup departing The Flash due to scheduling conflicts with Apple TV Plus’ The Morning Show, Ron Livingston is replacing him in the role of Henry Allen (via Variety). The Office Space and The Conjuring actor is taking over the fatherly part after Crudup played it in Justice League. The Flash has been through development hell over the years, losing numerous directors before Andy Muschietti (It) finally stepped to the starting line in 2019. Production was again postponed due to the pandemic, which ultimately led to Crudup’s scheduling conflict. Livingston’s addition comes days after Maribel Verdú (Pan’s Labyrinth, Y Tu Mamá También) was cast as Barry “the Flash” Allen’s mother, Nora Allen. Thought official plot details are still thin, it’s generally as...
Pierce Brosnan Cast as DC Hero Doctor Fate in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam
Pierce Brosnan (photo by Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock) and Dr. Fate (DC Comics) The Doctor is in. Pierce Brosnan has been cast as mystical hero Doctor Fate in Dwayne Johnson’s DC Extended Universe antihero adventure Black Adam (via The Hollywood Reporter). The veteran James Bond actor will bring to life one of DC Comics’ oldest characters, as Dr. Fate was created in 1940. The character is Kent Nelson, the son of an archeologist who comes across the wizard Nabu in an ancient Egyptian tomb. Nabu trains Nelson in the art of sorcery, bestowing on him the Helmet of Fate, a powerful artifact that has become Dr. Fate’s signature attire. Brosnan’s casting rounds out the Justice Society of America, who will either face off against or team up with Johnson’s Black Adam in the movie (or, likely, both)....
R.I.P. George Segal, Just Shoot Me! and The Goldbergs Actor Dead at 87
George Segal, the veteran actor who starred in countless movies and TV shows including Just Shoot Me! and The Goldbergs, has died at 87. He passed away due to complications from bypass surgery in Santa Rosa, California, reports Variety. Born in Great Neck, New York in 1934 to a Jewish family, Segal quickly fell in love with acting after seeing Alan Ladd in This Gun for Hire when he was nine years old. He spent his free time playing banjo and watching movies in high school before leaving for Haverford College. Segal then earned his Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College of Columbia University in 1955 and briefly served in the US Army. After landing a job as an understudy in a Broadway production of The Iceman Cometh, Segal started securing sporadic roles in a handful of ’60s TV shows and ca...
Zac Efron and Russell Crowe to Star in Peter Farrelly’s The Greatest Beer Run Ever
Peter Farrelly is following his Oscar-winning film, Green Book, with The Greatest Beer Run Ever. According to Deadline, Apple Studios is in negotiations to finance the movie, with Zac Efron and Russell Crowe in talks to star. Bill Murray is reportedly being tapped for a supporting role. Farrelly co-wrote the script with Brian Currie and Pete Jones, based on Chick Donohue and J.T. Malloy’s bestselling book, The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty and War. Beer Run tells Donohue’s story of leaving New York in 1967 to bring beer to his childhood buddies in the Army while they were fighting in Vietnam. Donohue went through tremendous lengths to accomplish his goal, as he hitched a ride on a Merchant Marine ship and then carried the beer through the jungle while trying ...
Marvel’s Black Widow Getting Same Day Release on Disney+ and in Theaters
After more than a year’s delay due to the pandemic, Marvel has finally decided to release Black Widow day-and-date on Disney+ and in theaters on July 9th. The movie will be available as a Premier Access stream, which means Disney+ users will have to pay an additional fee to watch. What’s more, Emma Stone’s live-action 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella will follow the same distribution plan, coming to Premier Access Disney+ and cinemas on May 28th. Meanwhile, Pixar’s Luca will take the release path laid out by the Oscar-nominated Soul, going directly to streaming at no extra cost to subscribers on June 19th. Disney’s decision to make Black Widow and Cruella available as Premier Access movies comes after what a press statement calls “the successful release” of Raya and The Last Dragon...
Nobody Is the Premier Dad Film of 2021: Review
The Pitch: Hutch Mansell’s the name, and accounting is his game. Bob Odenkirk is Mansell, a five o’clock shadow of a human being, working in a warehouse as the back-office calculator. He drones day in and day out, running the numbers for louder and more macho men. His son hates him. His wife sleeps with a pillow between them. His life is the very model of suburban repression and depression, but beneath the pale exterior lies a sleeping giant. Prior to accountancy, Hutch was a homicidal “accountant” for “all the places with acronym names”, as he puts it. He was once a veritable James Bond, with an affinity for swift completions and anonymity. Now, no more. It’s all Restoration Hardware décor and vinyl collections for lame old Hutch. But where most men spend their midlife crises on cars, boa...
The Spine of Night Is a Gory, Retro Throwback to Ralph Bakshi: SXSW Review
Editor’s Note: The following review is part of our coverage of the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival. Stay tuned for further reviews straight outta Austin — well, virtually, of course. Below, Clint Worthington reviews Philip Gelatta and Morgan Galen King’s animated fantasy horror. The Pitch: In a mysterious fantasy world, an enchanted flower known as The Bloom holds the secret to many dark and powerful magicks. The tale of the Bloom, and its effect on the many inhabitants of this strange land, is told by a nearly-naked swamp witch named Tzod (Lucy Lawless) to the flower’s enigmatic Guardian (Richard E. Grant) atop a snow-capped mountain. Among her many tales are heroes and villains, religious zealots and diligent scholars, and buckets of blood and shattered bone along th...
Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes Is A Beautiful, But Disappointing Tribute: SXSW Review
Editor’s Note: The following review is part of our coverage of the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival. Stay tuned for further reviews straight outta Austin — well, virtually, of course. Below, Rachel Reeves checks out Caroline Catz’ experimental documentary on electronic wunderkind Delia Derbyshire. The Pitch: In 1962, Delia Derbyshire began working at the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop. While many employees ended up being assigned to the department out of necessity, Derbyshire requested it. Fueled by her continual fascination with mathematics, music, sound, nature and the way they interact, Derbyshire was on a mission to create new and usual sounds. While best known for her contributions to the iconic Doctor Who theme song, it’s her hefty influence on the world of electronic musi...
Jakob’s Wife Sinks Its Fangs Into a Complicated Feminist Message: SXSW Review
Editor’s Note: The following review is part of our coverage of the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival. Stay tuned for further reviews straight outta Austin — well, virtually, of course. Below, Jenn Adams dances in the darkness with Barbara Crampton’s latest feature. The Pitch: Anne Fedder (Barbara Crampton) is the epitome of a church mouse. Married to Pastor Jakob Fedder (Larry Fessenden), she dutifully stands by his side as he cares for his flock and listens to his sermons on what a good wife should be. But something strange is happening to Anne. She’s got a new look, a newfound swagger, a new bite mark on her neck and a new thirst for blood. During a clandestine tryst with a former flame, Anne is attacked by a vampire and begins to transform into one herself. Rather than fea...
